Odd News Roundup: France's Macron said I will not surrender my umbrella; Rescued dolphin picks Chiefs to win Super Bowl and more

As Slovak Prime Minister Igor Matovic spoke to reporters before a meeting with Macron, a female aide came out and handed the French leader a black umbrella. Good of the Hive: the New York muralist on a mission to hand-paint 50,000 bees Like many artists, Matthew Willey had longed to meet his muse.

Following is a summary of current odd news briefs.

France's Macron: I will not surrender my umbrella

French President Emmanuel Macron was so determined to hold his own umbrella at a rain-dampened event outside the Elysee Palace on Wednesday that he shooed away aides three times when they tried to take it from him. As Slovak Prime Minister Igor Matovic spoke to reporters before a meeting with Macron, a female aide came out and handed the French leader a black umbrella. Macron took it and held it over his Slovakian guest.

NFL: Rescued dolphin picks Chiefs to win Super Bowl

Nicholas, a rescue bottlenose dolphin, made waves on Tuesday when he predicted the Kansas City Chiefs would win Sunday's Super Bowl, a controversial choice as the Florida resident picked against the hometown favourite Tampa Bay Buccaneers. An animal care specialist dressed as an NFL referee at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium presented Nicholas with two footballs - one with the logo of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and one with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Good of the Hive: the New York muralist on a mission to hand-paint 50,000 bees

Like many artists, Matthew Willey had longed to meet his muse. He had no idea she would fly in through his apartment window. The bee that buzzed into his room in late spring, 2008 so entranced the New York-based muralist that he embarked on a mission to highlight growing threats to pollinators by hand-painting 50,000 individual bees on buildings around the world.

German sniffer dogs detect COVID-19 with 94% accuracy

A German veterinary clinic has trained sniffer dogs to detect the novel coronavirus in human saliva samples with 94% accuracy. The dogs are conditioned to scent out the "corona odour" that comes from cells in infected people, said Esther Schalke, a vet at Germany's armed forces school for service dogs.

Robotic dog Spot learns new tricks with addition of helping hand

A dog-like robot named Spot, seen dancing in a viral video, can now not only bring your slippers, it can pick up dirty laundry, open doors and even plant flowers. U.S. robotics company Boston Dynamics on Tuesday unveiled a new version of four-legged Spot with an arm and the ability to charge itself, allowing it to work around the clock.

Missing customers, Belgian restaurateur serves mannequins

A Belgian restaurant owner near Brussels says she misses her customers so much since her restaurant was forced to close last October under coronavirus laws, she has replaced them with mannequins. Therese Mahieu began serving glasses of red wine to dummies with wigs, hats and scarves sitting at the bar this week in protest against Belgium's COVID-19 measures.

(With inputs from agencies.)